A woman had been trying to give away a kitten at the local WalMart parking lot. But after failing to do so, she dumped her “problem” in a mailbox and walked away.

A postal worker came to the scene with the police officers and unlocked the box to rescue the cat. They had no idea what they’d do with the kitten once he was freed.

But then, a Linton reserve police officer saw a couple he knew.

Shannon Hale and his wife, Amanda, had just gotten out of their vehicle and were heading toward the store as the rescue took place.

The officer called out to them and the Hales wandered over to the scene, where the officer asked if they’d like to have a kitten.

Their reply was, “No, not really.”

“But once we saw the kitten, it was so tiny, you could hold it in one hand, that was it,” said Hale, and they couldn’t turn it down.

The postal worker suggested the kitten be named Zippy. The Hales left WalMart with the tiny marmalade cat and the name stuck.

The Hales’ three sons and their current feline resident, Frosty, welcomed Zippy into the family home.

The woman who abandoned the kitten was located by officers and arrested, charged with abandonment or neglect of an animal and sentenced last week to one year, suspended. She’ll spend the year on probation.

As for Zippy, the family reports that he’s spoiled rotten and outgoing. He’s “fat, healthy and lovin’ life,”at their rural home. “He sees me out the door in the morning and he comes to meet me when I get home.”

“We were just going shopping at WalMart, and we came home with a kitten.”